Solan: The Himachal Pradesh Excise and Taxation Department launched raids at the Adani Wilmar Limited store in Shimla's Parwanoo late on Wednesday evening. Officials of the Adani Wilmar Group said that the raid was a “routine inspection” adding no irregularities had been found by the Excise and Taxation Department officials.
Joint director of the Excise and Taxation Department, GD Thakur, while confirming the raids, said that a special team of the Enforcement Branch of South Zone of Himachal Pradesh raided Adani Wilmar Limited premises, and inspected the stocks at the warehouse. The company's records were also checked to tally the data with the official figures.
Thakur further informed that the company's GST input was adjusted through tax credit, however, it has not paid the tax in cash. As per Thakur, it is mandatory for the company to pay 10 to 15 percent tax in cash. The non-payment of cash by the company is under suspicion, which is under investigation, said Thakur.
Also read: Most Adani Group firms rise; Adani Enterprises jumps 13 pc
The Adani Wilmar Company supplies goods to the Civil Supplies Department and the Police Department in Himachal. The company, based in Parwanoo in Solan district, registered a turnover of Rs 135 crore last year. Significantly, 7 companies of Adani Group are working in Himachal. Production in the factories of Ambuja Cement and ACC Cement is currently closed, but other companies engaged in the fruit business and grocery items in the state are functional.
The Adani Group and Himachal government are face to face over the operations of two cement plants that are shut down in the hill state for the last two months. These plants were shut down 4 days after the formation of the Congress government in Himachal. The Adani Group has cited the high cost of transportation as the reason for shutting down the cement plants.
The Adani Group is in the middle of a row after a report by US-based short-seller Hindenburg accusing the group of stock manipulation and operating offshore shell companies.
